During my secondary school education, we used to have school matrons who were charged with the girls’ discipline and social welfare.

However, these normally respectable and aggressive members of staff would take it upon themselves to educate the girls about sexual life.

Some would go from general hygiene of girls’ body to their sexual behaviour and this would earn them resentment from many students especially the big girls whose moves would always be monitored with suspicion.

The Gahanga story reminded me of the days when girls would be separated from boys and taken for pregnancy tests or tetanus immunisation.

It used to make us feel bad but I can now understand the importance of it all.

I heard things my mother has never bothered to tell me and I am grateful to the school.

If the ministry of education could make it a policy for sex education to be taught in every school and if possible allow health workers visit schools and carry out some routine sex education sessions.

This would combine both the children’s sexual health and behaviour and it would help do what parents have failed to do.

Eastern Province